Of Dormice and Balls
by Spicy Diamond
Summary: Clover, Pierce / Alice, Alice has already had her Cinderella moment, but that doesn't mean that Pierce doesn't want a repeat performance.


**Title:** Of Dormice and Balls  
**Challenge:** Prompt Bingo on LJ  
**Prompt: **Partner  
**Summary:** [Clover, Pierce / Alice] Alice has already had her Cinderella moment, but that doesn't mean that Pierce doesn't want a repeat performance.  
**Rating:** PG

. o . o . o . o . o . o .

"Oooh," Pierce leaned forward, listening as Alice finished her story, a wistful smile on his face. "The Ball sounds amazing. You must have had so much fun going."

"It was okay." Alice shrugged.

"Only okay?" The dormouse gave a squeak. "You didn't have fun? All that food and fancy clothes? And the dancing!"

He jumped up, just barely managing not to trip over his own feet as he spun around the room in an excited circle for emphasis.

"I didn't try any of the food." Alice admitted. "And, I quit dancing fairly early in the night. Plus, fancy clothes may look nice but they're not good for much else."

"Still..." Pierce paused in his spinning. "I wish I could have gone..."

The girl gave a soft snort. She'd seen Vivaldi's reaction to Pierce while in the city surrounding Clover Tower. Peace agreement or no it was highly doubtful that the Red Queen would have allowed Pierce to leave with his head on his shoulders if she had anything to say about it.

Alice shuddered slightly.

"I would have made sure you'd had fun if you had went to the Ball with me!" Seemingly mistaking her shudder for something else, Pierce bent down to look her in the eyes. Giving a serious nod, he grasped her hands tightly with his own and drew Alice up from the couch with a sharp tug.

Snickering as _she_ was the one to gave a squeak this time, the dormouse pulled Alice into a quick quarter turn and a dip in an offbeat waltz. A wide, infectious grin spread across his face.

"You could wear a fancy dress and we could dance as much as we wanted!"

"You'd have to wear a suit too." She reminded him, trying and not quite managing to hide the tiny, lopsided smile forming on her lips as she fell in step as best she could with Pierce's quirky attempt at leading. "And I'd probably step on your feet. I'm clumsy in heels, they make my feet hurt."

"We could take a break if you got tired." Pierce suggested brightly. Dodging the bits of wayward furniture littered about his house, he spun her around. Arms latching around her waist in what was more of a hug than a dance move, he hummed curiously. "They had chairs and stuff to rest on, right?"

"Yeah." Alice nodded, her eyes distant as she tried to recall the finer details of the Ball. "Supposedly they had a whole wing of rooms set aside for the party guests when they got tired."

"Ah, then, we'd use one of those." His face lit up eagerly. "A room at the palace. I bet they're fancy too..."

"Probably." Alice said evenly, watching in quiet amusement as he tried to picture it.

Their dance lasted a few more awkward, shuffling steps, before his excitement finally got the better of him.

"Ooh, it just sounds like fun! We'd have so much fun!" Lunging forward, Pierce knocked into Alice with enough force to send both of them toppling over onto the rug. His arms squeezed tightly around her middle. "Next time you definitely have to go with me, okay Alice? Right?"

"Wha-" Wincing at the painful throb in her backside, Alice gave him a sharp look. "Pierce, you can't just tackle-"

"No? You don't want to go to the ball with me?" He gave her a quivering look, his eyes moistening suspiciously.

"I didn't say that." Hastily soothing the dormouse before he could get too upset, she reasoned. "I just can't promise anything if we don't know whether or not there's even going to be another Ball."

"But, if there is you'll go with me, won't you?" He repeated insistently, tugging lightly at her apron as he spoke. "Because you're special and unique and everyone will want to go with you. But, if I ask now that means you'll go to the Ball with me instead of them, right?"

And _that_, even to Alice's practical way of thinking, made perfect Wonderland nonsense.

"Okay," she sighed. "If there's another Ball, I'll go to it with you."

"You will? Really? That's great!" Grin returning in full force, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Soft pleased laughter muffled against her skin as he nuzzled her soundly. "You'll like going with me! I promise!"

Knowing better than to try and correct him at this point, Alice simply smiled and stroked the fuzzy, round ear nearest to her.

"I'm sure I will."


End file.
